First, why I’m writing about ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat” here at the blog of a PAC whose mission is to increase AAPI involvement in US politics. Part of that is educating, identify, outing & resolving race issues in the US whether by political means or others (grassroots, education, public embarrassment, etc.). This show is an important step in that movement, a movement close in heart & action to those of our PAC.

There’re countless eloquent & well-written tributes to the show including

Constance Wu’s character Jessica Huang steals the show. At last, as the sentiment which underlies Asians Not Brainwashed By Media and this fan of On the Media yours truly is sharply aware, an Asian woman who is a real woman. Not some meaty object of desire, not some caricature, not some shell of a human being, not a moist stereotype, not just a generic “wife and mother” character as America is so apt to love, but a true human being with feelings, complexities, arguments, and growing pains.

Next, the father, wow a man of the house, haven’t we seen a lot of these on tv? Sarcasm, people, and now we add to the slowly growing list of responsible Asian men in American media, always a sore tender point.

And the kids, whoever casts for ABC with their many kids in many shows recently is great & I can only be so proud of them & their parents for raising such fine actors & aware people.

And my immediate reaction: wow, it’s my life on tv. At last, it’s like therapy.

Like the veteran high school teacher that he is, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside), decided to take out his red pen and apply it to a letter on immigration that fellow Congressmembers from the other party were circulating. Politico gave him some ink for exposing the shoddy reasoning.

He dishes out kindly but exacting critique, pointing out where the letter has logical and factual flaws. For example, the Republican letter claims that the Senate-passed bill is over 1,000 pages, so Rep. Takano circles this and points out that it’s exactly 286 pages. (Note to Congressmembers and staff: please do your research.)

Rep. Takano repeatedly points out “tawdry accusations” and Republican claims that are lacking in evidence. No, seriously, he points it out no more than four times in the short letter. What assertions does he specifically call out?

-“reportedly not all the Senators have read [the bill]”
-“We are disturbed by the secret and under-handed way that the immigration bill moved through the Senate…”
-“To attempt to do everything at once ensures that little will be done right”
-“will prevent the last minute secret deal-making and vote-buying”

I don’t know about you, but I found Clint Eastwood’s satirical tirade against the Empty Chair to be absolutely hilarious. Amidst all the canned programming of political conventions, it was quite refreshing to see something original and offbeat. (I especially loved the line on how Eastwood distrusts lawyers who run for President — never mind that Romney is himself a lawyer.)

However, I highly doubt Mitt Romney is laughing — and not because he doesn’t have a sense of humor. Why? Because while everybody is talking about Eastwood’s speech, nobody is talking about what should have been the crowning moment of Romney’s political career: his acceptance of the Republican nomination for the White House.

Like many others, I can’t wait to watch Saturday Night Live sendup of Clint’s “Chair Monologues”.

We’re a foodie town, we’re an arts town, we’re a sports town, a theater town, anything you want in a big city you have in Houston, plus we have a good quality of life, we’re affordable and we have jobs.

When Colbert asked how it’s possible that Parker is the first openly gay mayor of a major American city — insulting Portland, Oregon and ignoring that Houston is one of the largest cities in the world to accomplish such a feat. Parker wisely noted Houston elected her six times before electing her mayor and explained

Houston is very tolerant of a lot of things; they want to know what you can do, not who you are or where you’re from.

Update: The organizer notes the event is now free & extended the deadline to July 9.

Contact: Alison Mayersohn, 310.446.4230
Email:

Young Professionals are invited to a special evening of networking and philanthropy on Thursday, July 12, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. The evening is sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League and its partners in ADL’s Asian Jewish Initiative. The evening’s theme is, “Do Well by Doing Good,” and those in attendance will have the opportunity to mingle with Asian and Jewish professionals and board members from six organizations to learn how to create change and have an impact in our communities.

Admission is $15 in advance or $25 at the door and features food from critically-acclaimed restaurants Starry Kitchen and Park’s BBQ. Wine is included.

The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) is located in Downtown Los Angeles at 1145 Wilshire Blvd., LA, CA 90017. Public parking is available on the street and at public cash-only lots near Lucas and Wilshire.

Preregistration is required. RSVP by July 5 at EventBrite. Facebook Event is also up. Also you can call Molly Rose Weintraub at ADL, 310-446-4267 or by email: .

The Asian Jewish Initiative is a partnership with Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Japanese American National Museum, Korean American Coalition, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics and Search to Involve Pilipino Americans to advance alliances and partnerships between Asian and Jewish communities through constructive dialogue, exploration of common ground, joint community projects, and coalition building. Visit our website: www.adl.org; www.adl.org/pacific-southwest